I've traveled with laptops for many years, and I crashed with a laptop
in my saddlebags some years ago (on the side of the bike of course that
had the laptop in it). It was carried in one of the flimsy aluminum hard cases which were already installed on the Enfield Bullet when I picked it up in Madras. It was
okay because I had it packed it in a padded laptop case, then made sure
it was cushioned by my clothes. (I was okay, except for my knee.)
Photo at right: MacTruck laptop case.
On a trip across the USA my
Ural broke down (for the umteenth time)
and I called a flatbed tow truck. The driver put the truck bed down right on
top of my suitcase, laptop and camera. I had let him help me drag stuff
out of the bike and my hotel room and he put it in the
way of his operating mechanism. Duh. But it was also my fault for not keeping track of my own stuff. IMPORTANT NOTE: My State Farm agent got it covered under my renters insurance, reimbursed me, and collected from the towing company. (Check to see that your renters or homeowners insurance covers damage to equipment while your travel.) In my opinion
it's this kind of stuff you have to watch out for most when carrying a
laptop around. That is, making sure you always know where it is and don't let
anybody "help" you with it.
I've heard that Pelican cases are good, but I'm going with one of two options from
RadTech.com for my upcoming trip in Morocco:
MacTruck is the super-hard-core option for a Mac (not sure if it will do for a Windows machine). It's an
"ultra-rugged, work-in enclosure that provides suspension and lots of
cushioning and supposedly can get run over or thrown off a tall
building without damage to your computer. The other one is called
Otterbox, which is a heavy-duty waterproof bag with nice, work-in design, also with
shock-absorbing suspension. They also have
rugged iPhone case.
If you don't go with an option like this I'd recommend at least a neoprene glove for your laptop, a
good, padded case or backpack made for laptops, and taking care every day to cushion it properly in your
bags. And of course lock it up.
Which brings me to this: I never travel without my
Targus Defcon 1 Ultra Cable Lock and Motion Alarm. It combines a stainless steel cable with motion sensor and a 95-decibel alarm and easily attaches to your notebook or carrying case or anything else. When you're not on the bike you can attach it to the security key in your laptop and loop the retractable cable around a table leg, a luggage cart...anywhere. I use it to secure my laptop, then loop it around the strap of my digital camera, my luggage, backpack, whatever. It just provides that extra security and peace of mind when you're in a strange place.
I like this device in particular because I can also set the motion sensor and place in in my tank bag so anybody messing around with it will get bleeped - and I (and others) will hear it - it's pretty piercingly loud. I've looped it around my hotel room door handle and attached it to the zipper of my tent, too. It costs about $30 on
amazon.com.
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